Патриция Брейсвелл – лучшие книги

Х1 век. Англия. Эмме было всего пятнадцать, когда отец ради заключения выгодного политического союза, выдал дочь замуж за короля Этельреда. Будущего мужа - грубого и властного мужчину – Эмма впервые увидела только в церкви. Теперь вокруг нее только враги и предатели. А коварная соперница готова на все, чтобы занять место юной королевы. Но красивая и проницательная девушка сумела снискать уважение подданных и… любовь наследника престола, старшего сына ее супруга. Однако их клятвы разделяют их, а любовь может стоить жизни. А может быть, он просто использует мачеху, чтобы получить трон после смерти отца. Эмма ждет ребенка. Она решила, что…

Воинственный правитель датчан хочет завоевать земли Англии и собирает могучую армию. Его сын, отважный Кнут, похищает знатную даму Эльгиву, фаворитку английского короля. Девушка знает, что Кнут может дать ей то, к чему она всегда стремилась, — власть! Она сможет сместить с трона ненавистную королеву Эмму! А королева страдает от грубости и безразличия супруга. Она боится представить, что произойдет, если король узнает о тайной страсти Эммы к наследнику престола Этельстану. Юноша давно мечтает отнять корону у своего отца и сделать Эмму полновластной правительницей. Две красавицы стремятся к власти. Только одна хочет получить славу и…

A breathtaking conclusion to Bracewell’s Emma of Normandy Trilogy, brimming with treachery, heartache, tenderness and passion as the English queen confronts ambitious and traitorous councilors, invading armies and the Danish king’s power-hungry concubine. In the year 1012 England’s Norman-born Queen Emma has been ten years wed to an aging, ruthless, haunted King Æthelred. The marriage is a bitterly unhappy one, between a queen who seeks to create her own sphere of influence within the court and a suspicious king who eyes her efforts with hostility and resentment. But royal discord shifts to grudging alliance when Cnut of Denmark, with…

The second book in Bracewell’s outstanding Emma of Normandy series, set in 11-century England, when Vikings are on the brink of invasion.1006 AD. Queen Emma, the Norman bride of England’s King Æthelred, has given birth to a son. Now her place as second wife to the king is safe and Edward marked as heir to the throne. But the royal bed is a cold place and the court a setting for betrayal and violence, as the ageing king struggles to retain his power over the realm. Emma can trust no one, not even the king’s eldest son Athelstan, the man she truly loves.Elsewhere Viking threats to the crown are gaining strength, and in the north the powerful nobleman Ælfhelm is striking an alliance with the Danes. His seductive daughter Elgiva, former mistress to the king, is forced to act as a pawn in his plan, and is given as wife to a Viking Lord. Can King Æthelred finally listen to Athelstan, whose plan to strengthen the kingdoms’ ties will put off the Viking threat once and for all?Emma must protect her only child without abandoning her noble position. And her inner conflict, between maternal instinct and royal duty, will be played out against the dramatic and bloody struggle for Britain’s rule.

The first two novels in an epic series about Queen Emma of Normandy, set in 11th-century England when Vikings are on the brink of invasion. A standout series of seduction, war, betrayal and unrequited love from an outstanding new voice in historical fictionSHADOW ON THE CROWNIn 1002 AD Emma, a young Norman girl, must take her place as bride to England’s King Æthelred, a ruler who is looking for nothing more than a political pawn to protect his shores and bear his next child. But Emma soon realises that her new role comes with danger: the seductive Elgiva, mistress to the King, will stop at nothing in her battle for the circlet of gold. Amidst the turmoil of a kingdom under threat and a forbidden love, both women will fight for the King’s attention, a king whose haunted past is as dark as the portent in the night’s sky.THE PRICE OF BLOOD1006 AD. Queen Emma, the Norman bride of England’s King Æthelred, has given birth to a son. Now her place as second wife to the king is safe and Edward marked as heir to the throne. But the royal bed is a cold place and the court a setting for betrayal and violence, as the ageing king struggles to retain his power over the realm. Emma can trust no one, not even the king’s eldest son Athelstan, the man she truly loves.Elsewhere Viking threats to the crown are gaining strength.Emma must protect her only child without abandoning her noble position. And her conflict will be played out against the dramatic and bloody struggle for Britain’s rule.